Roof concerns shut Roxbury elementary school

Franklin Elementary School was closed Thursday morning after school officials had concerns about the building's roof, according to a statement by the Roxbury Public School District.Google Maps

ROXBURY — An elementary school was closed Thursday morning and staff and students were transported to a different location following safety concerns of the building's roof, according to the Roxbury Public School District.

Thursday morning, during a roof inspection at the Franklin Elementary School, buildings and facilities personnel saw that "flexing of the roof" had occurred over night due to the weight of the snow, the district said in a news release on its website.

"The roof did not collapse," the release said. "There was no fracturing or splintering in any of the beams — just natural bowing that will normally occur with timber under stress."

CONNECT WITH US

The district's architect and structural engineer were called to evaluate the Meeker Street building, and the superintendent decided to close the school for the day.

Students and staff were taken to Lincoln-Roosevelt auditorium, and parents of Franklin students were notified by a Honeywell alert Thursday that they could pick up children at Lincoln Roosevelt School.

"The buildings and grounds personnel were on the roof today and have removed a majority of the snow and ice accumulation in the area of the school that was identified to have the bowed rafters," the district posted on its Facebook page. "With the majority of the load removed, combined with the fact that there was no visible fractures or splintering of the wood joists, the structural engineer has deemed the building safe for re-entry."

School was scheduled to resume Friday with a regular session, the district said.